campaign 2012, we have been enduring sound bites and worse, dualing negative ads. but tonight, that is all done with. we will have dualing candidates, president obama and candidate, mitt romney squaring off, fighting in the realm of ideas tonight. now conventional wisdom says debates can rarely help you, but they can hurt you and mitt romney will be looking to do damage to president obama tonight. meantime, in swing state, colorado, debates are coming down to the last minute for everybody. the candidates and those who will be running the show. for more, we go live to danielle nottingham. >> as you mentioned, both candidates are trying to avoid any major mistakes tonight. and it will be all about the economy tonight. the first three segments will be devoted to that topic. president obama will make his case for another four years to fix the comply and mitt romney will argue it's time for a

change. when mitt romney and president obama meet on this stage for their first debate, more than 50 million viewers are expected to tune in. greg wayland is an important member of that audience. he's an undecided voter. >> i think they are talking directly to me. >> wayland's top issue, the economy. >> that's going to be the thing for me. someone that comes forward with a cohesive plan for america and where america fits into that. that's what swings me the other way. >> both candidates spent hours rehearsing for this moment. they'll face off for 90 minutes with the focus on the economy, healthcare, and other national issues. president obama has to avoid any major misstep. and explain to voters why unemployment is so high and the economic recovery so slow. >> what you'll hear the president do tonight is have a conversation directly with the american people about where we have been over the last four years. to strengthen our economy. >> romney who is trailing in the polls will be looking for a

breakout moment and voters will be looking to hear more details about his plan to lower taxes and the deficit. >> i think most importantly, you'll hear the contrast. the president's reforms haven't done enough to help the economy. >> both campaigns have gone through. but both candidates are seasoned debaters. and right now, romney is spending time with his family at a denver hotel and president obama just wrapped up his walk through of the debate hall. live in denver, colorado, danielle nottingham, back to you. >> we are four hours from 9:00 when the debate will all get started tonight. there is a new u.s.a. poll out today. they asked the voters who do you think will win this debate regardless of who you support? 57% said president obama would probably win. 33% said mitt romney was likely the better debater.

susan page says this debate has a lot of power. >> 80% of americans say their mind is made up, they aren't going to change their vote, but 21% of registered voters said they could change their mind. >> you just heard it. the significant group of voters could be persuadeable as is described. channel 9 is your go-to station. 9news is teaming up with our sister newspaper to fact check with the candidates say. so make sure you stay tuned to channel 9, watch the debate and get started at 9:00 and meantime, you can log on to wusa9.com for the live, as it happens fact checking at the very same time. and then watch us, 9news now at 11:00 for the most comprehensive accurate debate out there. we'll bring you nothing but the facts. much more from u.s.a. today headquarters coming your way later on. now back to lesli and anita in

the studio. >> a busy and exciting night ahead. thank you, derek. >> an important alert to pass along tonight. another teenage girl has been assaulted by a serial fondler. >> this latest attack happened last night in the 6200 block in springfield. peggy fox has been in that community all day where residents are really worried this guy could get even more violent. peg. >> yes, and we have a self- defense move. we're going to show you to help get you out of one of these attacks. so far, four attacks, the last one last night at 7:15 near the corner of exmore. this is behind springfield plaza. none of the victims were physically injured, but they have been scared. >> i'm walking the streets, i'm always looking behind me, all the time. >> keep aware of your surroundings, there's a grope on the loose. >> i don't think anybody will be grabbing me. >> having a dog helps.

>> scared to go out. after we heard that, we're scared go go out now. >> these women are walking in groups and fathers are warning their daughters. >> don't go out after 6:00. don't go walking around. >> police think it's the same guy who now grabbed four young women in this area. >> she was walking along the sidewalk about 7:15 when she felt someone come behind her very quickly and grab her and then run away. >> each time the creep grabs them from behind and fondles thr breasts. >> demonstrates how to get out of a hold. he taught me how to do it in a few minutes. >> yes, like that. bang. >> now there have been different descriptions, but in three of them, the guy had a red baseball cap on and several of them say that he was about

5'8". but police really want is for people to call in so they can compare notes. if anything like this happens to you, call police so they can get this guy. i'm peggy fox live in springfield, back to you. >> so goodto get the word out so women can know and react if they are grabbed from behind. thanks, peg. >> ten years ago today, five people were murdered in quick succession by the d.c. snipers and our entire region was to endure nearly a month of terror. at the time, we had no idea who was shooting people at random or why. tonight, as we continue to look back, we give you a rare glimpse of the archives in the case and evidence room like no other in prince georges county where the evidence is being preserved for a future exhibit honoring the victims and the law enforcement officers who eventually caught the snipers and put an end to it all. scott broom is live in forestville to give us a snapshot of what is in that evidence area. scotty. >> reporter: well, you know, it was ten years ago, but all

of these archives and evidence were not handed over to archivists until july. they were just handed over for a future national law enforcement memorial museum. there is so much stuff inside this warehouse here that the archivist still doesn't have a count on all of it. in a climate controlled warehouse suitable for storing fine art, there sits that fearsome 1990caprice used by the d.c. snipers. a mobile, sniper's nest. now a museum piece. >> the trunk was the actual location where the sniper showed himself, so to speak. curled up in the trunk and used this that was cut out to poke the barrel of the bush master through to fire the weapon. >> archive manager explains fascinating details now seen up close. >> the snipers had a can of spray paint to match the outer

part of the spray paint. they spray painted the risk of the car to minimize the risk of glare, reflections, or stray light. >> archive includes the terro card left outside of the shooting in bowie. the first attempt by the snipers to communicate with police. >> it was written on pink paper. >> the note found tacked to a tree where sniper, john mohommed begins to lay out his demands. all written in the hand of his teenaged accomplice, lee malvo. there are boxes of evidence presented at three trials. racks of notes and video tapes scoured from traffic cameras throughout the region. vhs tapes. there is so much here, it is not all yet been cataloged for exhibit. ingly never have the victims very far from my mind when i work with materials in this collection. the human cost of this man's actions is something that is

always present in my thoughts when i work with them. >> reporter: now the highlights of everything you have seen here will be on display by 2015 at a future law enforcement museum near the law enforcement memorial down at judiciary square downtown. when i come back at 6:00, i'm going to show you the single piece of evidence here that really means the most to scott. it is not the car. it's not the notes. it's just one piece of evidence that gives her and the rest of us chills. join me at 6:00. reporting live in forestville, prince georges county, scott broom, 9news now. >> i was going to say, what you have shown us is chilling, even ten years later. we'll look forward to seeing your piece at 6:00. the woman once married to the d.c. sniper is speaking out tonight ten years after her ex- husband began terrorizing the nation and our area and three years after he was put to

death. surae chin just returned. >> this is the second time i interviewed mildred mohommed. she seems brighter, more open this time around. we covered a will the of topics, such as her children who call the d.c. sniper dad to her healing process, to also how people still blame her for the shooting spree. >> the only thing i was trying to do was find my children and stay alive. >> mildred mohommed remembers living in fear, never thinking the man she was married to for 12 years was also the d.c. sniper. >> my fear was heightened above everyone else. and just trying to come to terms with, if the sniper doesn't get me, then john will. >> do you think life for you is better now that he is gone from this earth? >> i didn't need for him to be executed for my life to be better. it's painful for my children that he's no longer here.

but that's something we have to deal with. >> she says the man she once loved was a different man when she returned from the gulf war and said good-bye long before he became a killer. this is what she said about their children the day before their father was to be executed three years ago. >> they will have to live with that fact of how he died and that he is no longer here. >> she says her three children are now in college and have come to terms with that fact. >> yes, this was my dad. this is what he did, but he does not define who i am. i am who i make myself to be. >> do they call him dad? >> uh-huh. >> the fbi had told her she was the primary target during the three weeks of terror. for that reason, there is still pain all these years later. g because people blamed me, you know. if i would have said johnny would have killed you. if i would have stayed on the west coast, then people on the east coast would still be

alive. >> we talked about lee malvo's jailhouse interview. she isn't qualified to talk about it, but she takes malvo's word for what she said because she was there. she moved on. she is on her second book. that's going to come out in the next couple years about her healing process. right now, she is devoting to be the spokesperson of her domestic violence organization. she goes to military bases to talk about ptsd. she is very -- >> it can be closely linked. it's the best legacy about teaching your kids how to define themselves by who they are. >> thank you. back to you. sky 9 captured what was left of a serious accident in west annapolis today. a ford expedition pulling a trailer overturned this afternoon at route 665 and 50 that crashed debris was scattered all over the roadway, traffic was backed up for miles. three people had to go to the hospital. what were described as nonlife

threatening injuries. we still don't know what caused it all. the national league east champion washington nationals pledged home field advantage throughout the playoffs today. that wasn't the biggest story to come out of nationals park this afternoon. kristen berset joins us now with highlights of a historic president's race. >> the nats making history all season. the playoffs, now a brand-new presidential victory. let's take a look at how teddy won the race today. fans all over nats park broke out signs pleading for teddy to win, but the race didn't start off that well. teddy fell behind to washington, jefferson, and lincoln. he got some help from a fake philly fanatic whose nose fell off in the process. clearing the way for teddy roosevelt to breaking his epic losing streak. winning his first president's race. much to the delight of the fans. a positive way to end this season along with a nationals

win. i'm out here with teddy. congratulations. you got a victory dance, right? we got to see this victory dance. he's been working on that for years. but you are probably tired from running that race. it was a big race. congratulations. i'm also here with andy, ceo of the nationals. what made you guys decide this was the day? >> we didn't decide. teddy was so inspired by the great player of this team all year. it was a year of historic moments and teddy wrote his own history. >> he had his head band on, some good luck charges for him. >> he had the head band going and he had 37,000 fans here at nationals park cheering him on. >> a little natitude and right after ryan zimmerman hit a home run. he is trending worldwide.

andy and our victorious president of the day. take a bow, teddy. we'll be back with more on today's final game of the regular season. >> luckily, teddy didn't have to do all that running in the rain. thanks, kristin. >> coming up, our coverage of tonight's presidential debate continues with a newly sworn in american citizen at the university of maryland came up with the idea for the first debate more than 55 years ago.

i'm derek mcginty live at u.s.a. today's newsroom where we will bring you the truth. fact-checking the debate as it happens tonight at 9:00. if you think mitt romney and president obama are sick of preparing, you can blame fred cann. he was a brand-new citizen and

a student at the university of maryland. he figured it might be a good idea to get the candidates together so they can argue and take questions face to face. this had never happened before. even back then, some folks said be careful what you wish for. here's gary. >> 56 was a rematch. at the university of maryland. >> see if we can get one of the candidates, if not both. to come to the campus. so i had the idea, i need to get them to debate. >> he wrote the political parties, this might be something that will arouse the interest of young people. acknowledging your idea of having the presidential candidates of both parties on the same platform. cohn was a new citizen. he served in the u.s. army and took citizenship seriously. >> especially since i had no citizenship before i became an

american. i was considered a stateless citizen by the nazis. >> being an american became an important thing to you. >> very important. especially that the people had been killed by the nazis in the concentration camps. >> he didn't get in done in '56, but kept pushing his ideas. >> you are allowed to have debates. danish, you're not. biased on my background, when i became a citizen in the army in north carolina, i wanted to be a good citizen. >> in 1960, it happened. kennedy, nixon. >> i got $5. >> the rest of us got a tradition. an evolving tradition praised and criticized over the last 52 years. >> what about you? do you think debates are good now or bad? >> i don't know. mr. cann is a good reminder, often the americans who make democracy better are the

americans who don't take democracy for granted. gary, 9news. >> i give the debates two thumbs up. i think it's important to know what our candidates think and put them on the spot here. now tonight, i am here at u.s.a. today's newsroom where our live coverage gins tonight at 9:00. you can catch the debate on our website. of course you can join us for a wrap up of the debate tonight at 11:00. and topper shutt has the story on what the weather is looking like out there. top. >> first of all, talk about fall colors. we're looking at near peek as you go on the other side of the divide past cumberland, over toward oakland. some good color showing toward i-81. wait a couple of weeks. some color, but south and east, no color at all. all right, next three days, code green, getting better an better ready. an isolated shower or storm, but a great day. 84. fantastic on friday, 82. and then still nice on

saturday, some showers possible saturday late. i think the maryland game will get in without any showers. most of the activity rolls in sunday. if you are tailgating, put the wet suit on. chilly with rain and showers. highs around 60 on sunday. bright, but brisk on columbus day and we're back in the 60s and 70s next wednesday. so more like early to mid september tomorrow and friday and then late october sunday. >> zoom, zoom, zoom ahead. loving it. coming up, students who usually walk to school get extra company this morning going to class. >> up next, encouraging news for anyone out there thinking about selling their home.

yesterday, it was popcorn. today it's cheese. whole foods is recalling ricatta cheese over possible listeria contamination. that supplier is for ever cheese and cut into wedges and has a plu number of 293427 on the clear plastic wrap. also, if you see something that says sell by date for october 2, you want to not use that for sure. here is some good news. money experts believe the nation's housing bust is over.

a new survey shows the market is finally recovering. according to market researcher, core logic, home prices are up 4.6% in august from a year ago. it's the largest gain in six years and it was the sixth month in a row that home prices increased month to month. and the u.s. economy also got a big boost from auto sales. car makers sold 1.2 million vehicles last month and that's up 13% from a year ago. general motors reports its sales rose 1.5% and september marked the highest in u.s. sales in four years. thousands of children ditched the school bus and they walked to school instead today. that's because it is international walk to school day. here's the scene at tiny branch elementary in takoma park. the school won a national award for its program to encourage elementary schoolers to bike to their schools. >> we built sidewalks, we do some traffic and we teach kids

directly about safe practices. for example, how to cross the street. >> the maryland state highway administrator used the opportunity to deliver a critical message to drivers. there's never a contest between a pedestrian and a vehicle. coming up, you have seen her powerful video. now the man who criticized the anchor woman's weight, responds to her commentary comparing him to a cyber bully. chick-fil-a's president breaks his silence over the remarks regarding gay marriage. and coming up, winning a presidential debate may have more to do what's in your heart than what's in your head. we'll explain in minutes.

the stakes are sky high for the debate tonight between president barack obama and hopeful president, mitt romney. this is a live look at the debate site in denver, colorado, tens of millions of you, the viewers, are expected to tune in tonight to watch the two presidential hopefuls throw down. the viewers the candidates will be trying to reach are the folks who have yet to make up their minds. however few there may be. the tough thing about that is bringing in those voters without alienating the people on your side. gary has that story. >> the romney and obama campaigns agree on this. >> it is about the 4 or 5 percent of people that really have not been paying much attention to the campaign, who

haven't made up their minds. >> american university professor -- >> anything is possible in a debate. but in order for it to have real impact, romney would have to take some risks and obama would have to make some mistakes. >> the risks for romney moving to the center in order to appeal to voters risking alienating the republican right. >> i don't think they would stay home, but they might give them less money. >> still important for the on going ad war. >> now people say that romney should come in with some zingers and try to make obama lose his cool. >> vice presidential when dan quail was comparing himself to kennedy. >> here's the punch line of that, who won the election? bush and quail. >> staying cool under attacks? >> here you go again. >> you get points. being too cool -- >> if kitty were raped and

murdered, would you favor a death penalty for the killer? >> no, i don't, bernard. >> michael's numbers dropped immediately after the seemingly too cool answer. the undecided need reasons to decide. >> substance is more important, but demeanor counts. >> he checks his watch and he suffers from it. al gore hurt by his sighing. this year, look for this. >> i have never seen this much lying as i have in this campaign. >> gary is lining up all the possible mistakes that have been made over the years, but as he mentioned at the end, there's a big difference between a gasp and an outright lie. here we are committed to telling you the difference between the two tonight and to that end, we are here where they will be fact checking these. i'm standing next to paul

singer, the political editor who will be in charge of the fact checking effort. explain exactly how it's going to work out tonight, paul. >> well, we hope it's going to work out like this. we'll be watching the debate with the rest of the viewers. we have a good data base of things we know about, what they like to talk about and we have a bunch of staff prepared to fact check when they say something we know to be either a stretch of the truth or require more context. we'll be able to write a quick item about that. we'll be publishing some. >> of course, if you sign on to our website, you'll be able to watch it as it happens, paul. we talked about this before. the fact is, facts are not the big thing this year. with so much lying going on, voters don't seem to care as much about what is true and what's not. >> it's an issue of knew wans, that's the thing. it's very rare that someone will come out and say you are an elephant, because clearly you aren't an elephant, but there's all kinds of issues.

if obama says i cut a trillion dollars in spending, sure, but you have done that by eliminating wars. what's true, what's not true is vague and it's not that it moves voters a lot unless somebody comes out and says something dramatically wrong, like poland isn't under soviet domination. >> there's a question whether that decides an election or not. show us on the website some of the tools that you put in place that will help people make the decision and understand what goes down tonight. >> there is some cool stuff we have been working on. we have this political ad tracker, which allows you to watch political ads and vote on whether you think it's believable, whether you think it will have impact and reviewed those ads and given you some context for the facts on them. we have a candidate match here that allows you to learn a little bit how the candidates, their views on various topics and see which ones you agree with. you end up with obama 80 or

romney 80 and send that postcard to your friends. we have a lot for that. and the twitter election meter, which is tracking the sentiment that people express on twitter towards these two candidates. i will tell you we have seen, and this line shows you, romney standing has improved over the past week, it improved a little bit in the polls as well. we think this might be in some ways showing you where the polls are going. >> now of course, none of this existed or not as much of this existed in 2008. how has the complete access to social media and the twitter verse going on while everything else is going on? how does that change how we do things for you and through the process itself? >> it's the instantaneous response. you can stop and think before you answer. and i find that stunning and kind of frightening. because you have to tweet your response. you have to have your fact

checked and posting things what you heard ten seconds ago. i'm not sure it's good for politics, but it is the world we are in that is the constant stream of chatter. the trick is, trying to find things significant and extract those and go longer on those. >> and help people understand this, because sometimes the information over load is the biggest problem we have. >> we try to give them tools to navigate. >> thanks for joining us, we'll be chatting with you later as the night goes on. as you fact check what the candidates say to us. we'll also be streaming the debate on our website live at the same time. coverage of tonight's first presidential debate gets started at 9:00 p.m. and of course, we'll have a complete wrap up at 11:00. no spin, none of that, just the facts about what went on all night long. i'll throw that back to lesli. >> a busy night, derek, thank you. we have more reaction in support of jennifer livingston. she's the long-time wisconsin news anchor who respondeon air from an e-mail from a

viewer criticizing her weight. here's what livingston had to say. >> i am a grown woman and luckily for me, i have a very thick skin. literally, as that e-mail pointed out, and otherwise. and that man's words mean nothing to me. but what really angers me about this is there are children who don't know better. who get e-mails as critical as the one i received or in many cases even worse, each and every day. the internet has become a weapon. our schools have become a battleground. and this behavior is learned. it is passed down from people like the man who wrote me that e-mail. if you are at home and talking about the fat news lady, guess what? your children are probably going to go to school and call someone fat. >> well, the man who wrote the initial e-mail to livingston has responded, too. he wrote back saying his message had nothing to do with bullying. that quote, obesity is one of the worst choices a person can

make. and he urged livingston to present the image of a healthier lifestyle to her viewers. well this is what she had to say to that on cbs this morning. >> if i could choose and snap my fingers to be a size 8, i don't have to shop off the plus size rack, that would be great. but i'm not ashamed of myself. i'm proud of who i am. i think that i do a job that is not necessarily worth being critical about on my appearance. talk to me about the stories i cover, not the way i look. >> livingston didn't decide to address the issue on tv until the outpouring of support she got after her husband, who happens to be a news anchor at the same station, posted the original e-mail on social media. the president of chick-fil- a is speaking out for the first time since his con controversial remarks. in an exclusive interview with our sister station, wxia in atlanta over the weekend, kathy

said his company has been clear about traditional families. >> families are very important to our country. they are important to all of us that concerned about being able to hang on to the heritage we have and we support biblical families. >> critics of dediscrimination, but kathy says he loves and respects anyone who disagrees. we'll be back.

we have an update on the story of a dog who rode from massachusetts to rhode island wedged in the grill of a car. the poodle named suesie has been reunited with her owner. she had run out into the road when she was hit by a car and became trapped in the grill. not knowing they hit the dog, the driver kept going at speeds of 50 miles per hour before someone flagged down the driver. amazingly, she suffered a mild concussion. we'll be back. >> there are all kinds of silly ways to predict who is going to win the presidency, but cookies? really? i'm bruce leshan. the story coming up.

back now live at u.s.a. headquarters where expert recorders will be fact checking today's debate as it happens. in the meantime, when they get in the presidential staredown tonight, the candidates will want to avoid blinking.

apparently according to some research, they might want to literally avoid blinking. a boston researcher says the candidate who blinks least usually wins the debate. bruce leshan with more on the wacky and less wacky ways out there of just trying to predict the victory. >> there you go again. >> bush had his watch, gore his size. >> on the issue -- >> maybe we really should have been watching their eyes. >> john said that the fundamentals of the economy -- >> mccain blinked 104 times a minute to obama's 62 and for 32 years, the blink rates have predicted every election. but kerry, bush. >> 90% are coming out of your pockets. >> this is the romney cookie. >> cookies have been good predicters, too. the favorite recipe of the

candidates wives is published in family circle and baked at the grill near the white house has predicted the outcome of four of the last five elections. michelle obama's chocolate chip cookies are raking in 58% of the customer's votes >> landslide. with the cookies with obama. >> halloween mask sales, coffee mugs, astrologers, even the redskins last game before the election have all predicted the outcome with varying degrees of success. >> debates predict nothing. >> american university professor, allen, says his 13 keys to the white house model is the only scientific time tested predictor. >> it is going to be obama no matter what happens in these debates. >> the cookies are a heck of a lot tastier. >> i like the romney cookies.

the taste is very good. >> in washington, bruce leshan, 9news now. >> and you might be wondering how that redskins prediction factor works. it turns out that in 17 of the last 18 presidential elections, if the redskins win their last home game before the vote takes place, the incumbent is returned to office. this year, it's november 4, carolina panthers at fedex. cam newton coming to town. we'll find out. back to you in the studio. >> we have serious showdowns going down. >> we'll be checking back in. >> should have brought cookies. >> he'll bring them back to the newsroom tonight. both the romney and obama cookies all welcome here. >> all right, we are getting near winter. a lot of acorns on the ground and a picture for you. jessica doyle sent this into us. she has a backyard covered with acorns. look at it. it's covered. literally. well it doesn't really mean anything. i used to think it does mean a

harsh winter, but as indicative of last year's growing season, there are some that say it's not a predicter of this winter, but next winter. so take your pick. either nothing or the following winter. of course, we all hope it's a snowy winter, right kids? >> the kids do. >> that's right. michael and son weather cam, 82 was the high. we are still 81. look at the dew point. this is much more reminiscent of an early to mid september pattern. winter comes, pressure on the rise. satellite picture radar combined, we have a southerly flow. we can't shake all of the clouds. we shook most of them today and had some breaks in the clouds. most folks made it into the 80s. now we have a stationary front. this will wash itself out and move eastward and will be left with a very good thursday and a fantastic friday. in the meantime, we'll keep the chance of an isolated shower in overnight. just because of the flow from

the south and just enough instability to kick off a shower. nothing major. so warm through the week. rather mild tonight. more sun thursday. fantastic friday. and the weekend, well, 50/50. saturday being the better 50. here's our future cast. late tonight, just some clouds. we'll see some patchy fog, but no dense fog like we did this morning and overnight. there are showers, at least chances for showers out in the mountains early on thursday in. a couple showers possible, especially to the south. just before noon on thursday. then we begin to clear out very nicely. we'll have a lot more sun on thursday and temperatures will soar a little bit. we still have the risk or an isolated shower or thunderstorm in thursday afternoon. next three days, green. green, and green. great tomorrow even though we have a slight chance of an isolated shower or storm. fantastic friday. low 80s, and still nice on saturday. terps are in town, family weekend at university of maryland. most of the showers should hold

off until saturday night. next seven days. sunday, not so good. i did peek at some data that gets this rain out of here earlier. that would be good. either way it's going to turn much cooler. low 60s on columbus day. and back in the mid 70s on wednesday. so, there you have it. i wish it were simple, but it's not. >> you might be out of a job. you like your expert. >> we need that, top. minus the snow. there you go. >> the nationals wrapped up the regular season today with the win against the phillies. >> for the first time since the team moved to d.c., nobody is heading home. kristen berset is live with more on the best team in the national league. hi kristen. >> hi ladies, 162 games come and gone and we are in unfamiliar territory. normally we would be prepping to come back here for locker cleanout, but no, the nationals have plenty of games left to play and like you said, today they ended it on a high note against the phillies.

let's take a look at the highlights. the nats are trailing 1-0 in the 4th inning. teddy won the president's race and the next thing you know, the bats came alive. maybe a good omen for the post season. ryan zimmerman did the very next batter, then tyler moore, michael morris. the five runs is all edwin jackson would need to pick up his season. allowing just one run, striking out six. the nationals beat the phillies 5-1. that means he finished the season with the best record in the national league and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. >> quite an accomplishment, i think obviously. winning the division and now we have done that and a chance to go do some stuff in the playoffs. but this is a great season. a great team, a great group of guys and accomplish a lot. but we have a lot more to accomplish, hopefully. >> these guys had a great year and i'm glad i was up here for a little bit of it. >> great outing.

good win. don't have to make a five-hour plane trip. that's great. >> now the guys will be back out here tomorrow for a little workout. they get a few days off, which will be good. a few are banged up. they'll head out on the road for a sunday game either atlanta or st. louis. we should find that out on friday night. for now we're live at nationals park, i'm kristen berset, back to you in the studio. >> we are feeling the natitude, thank you, kristen. one concern for those nats fans planning to head to post season games is metro. there was debate who would pick up the tab. some combination of d.c., maryland, and virginia? a local company stepped in to cover the cost. the blog, greater great washington did investigating about where those fans take metro after the game. so this is a map made by matt johnson. one of the blog's contributors. the larger circles represent the busiest stations after a

game. he sites metro as saying the ten busiest stations after a game are gallery place, vienna, pentagon city, shady grove, springfield, u street, dupont circle, columbia heights, and crystal city. the consolation prize one airline is offering if the presidential election doesn't quite go your way. i'm armando trull in rockville where a new technology has been deployed to help victims of domestic violence. that story is coming up. but first, mothers milk can be a staple of life right after a baby is born. should milk be a permanent part of kid's diets? one argument as to why not? it's controversial and it's next. weeks of this campaign... and more ads. you, in your living room or... what i'd say. losing nearly eight hundred... mired in iraq. nation we are... moving forward again. get folks back to work and... again. that with even bigger... fewer regulations... prosper. on the same trickle-down... in the first place. so what's my plan? manufacturing jobs... exports... that... ship jobs overseas. in half and produce more... clean coal, natural gas... solar, and biofuels. efficiency of cars and trucks. maintain the best workforce... hundred thousand additional... training two million... they need at our community... tuition in half and... americans can afford it. reduce our deficit by... next decade, on top of the... already cut. little more. afghanistan... pay down our debt and... nation-building... right here at home. patriotism, rooted in the... begins with a strong... thriving middle class. read my plan. and decide for yourself. thanks for listening. this message.

milk, it does a body good. that is the slogan we have all heard and one many parents embrace because we want our kids to get plenty of caium. but a vegan health advocacy group says it's time to take milk out of the cafeteria because children don't really need it. bottles of milk are everywhere in the cafeteria of singer elementary school in silver spring. the u.s. department of agriculture includes low fat milk as a required food in school lunches. and even those kids who brown bag it from home often buy milk to go with it. the physicians would like to see that changed. >> i think that the dairy does

a good job to convince people that this is the only source and the best source of calcium for kids or for anyone. it's not. >> registered dietitian directed nutrition education for pcrn. she says there are many sources of calcium and protein that don't contain the saturated fat and lactose or dairy sugar in milk. including broccoli,tofu, and colored greens. >> you can eat the green, leafy vegetables and get all the nutrients you need. >> the petition says that kids don't need milk and that's just really difficult and not true. >> carrie represents a dairy industry group that finds pcrm, antimilk campaign outrageous. >> if you want to make up the available calcium in one cup of milk, you would need 13 servings of pinto beans and 15 half cup servings of spinage to make up that available calcium.

i don't think kids are going to eat that much. >> a spokesperson says they haven't heard from parents who want this kind of change and it's unlikely to happen. wcrm is targeting the general public with its message. running ads in the d.c. metro system that play on the let's move campaign to advocate moving milk and cheese out of school lunches. >> it's really a sensationalist ad campaign that has an animal rights agenda. it's not based on science. >> there's absolutely no biological reason for any human to drink milk after weaning. certainly milk of another species. it's completely out of the ordinary and therefore there's no buy logical reason to do it. >> so strong sentiments on both sides of this debate, including whether the latest sign shows milk helps prevent bone fractures. what do you think about milk in the school lunch program? voice your opinion on our

facebook page. this is 9news now. >> and wusa is your station for the presidential debate. tonight, first debate is just three hours away and we are getting ready to sit down with our sister station to get the facts. >> our coanchor, derek mcginty is live at u.s.a. today headquarters in mcclane tonight with a preview. big night, derek. >> it is indeed a big night, anita. this is the newsroom where they have assembled a team of journalists that will be watching the debate even as we watch the debate. their job is different. their job is to listen and research and make sure that if the candidates try to pass one over on you, perhaps tell a fib or two, they'll put it online for you so you can see, watch, know, and make your decisions as to who you would like to supp